When Tamamo entered Mephisto's old magical academy, she was in a terribly sour mood: Even after several baths and changing of clothes, she still felt like she was immersed in Est's scent. She growled menacingly when one of the local fairies approached her in with a mischievous light in her eyes. Her day had been sufficiently terrible after failing to get anything more than basic information on Nightmares and getting repeatedly humiliated and tossed around, she was in no mood to play in the slightest. And if Nanabi called her because Mephisto wanted to, she seriously doubted it would be to announce a good new. Her senses already picked up the signatures of whoever was accompanying the yoma. She recognized Mephisto's own magical aura, but the three others were definitively otherworlders… However, one of them was somehow familiar, and another was...
She shivered. It didn't look like that day was going to be any better than the last one… However, her nose informed her that someone -in all likelihood the old yoma- had prepared some Yamatai tea. And indeed, when she arrived in sight of Mephisto's office, she saw her drinking tea in a company she didn't recognize. The first monster she identified was a girl with long, black hair standing in the corner and wearing a wool sweater with a short skirt. Her disguise didn't fool Tamamo in the slightest, who instantly identified her as a succubus, and a powerful one if she could still hold on a human appearance even if she was magically restrained. Her excited behavior reminded the kitsune of Morrigan, although her athletic body shape did remind her of Astaroth… She ignored her and focused on the two monsters that were actually around the table.
The first remaining one was a well-toned, tanned oni with long white hair and large, curved black horns. She was wearing a black cloth that barely covered her, and Tamamo could see in her purple eyes wisdom unusual for this type of demon -and a barely covered lust that was more conventional for her kin-. However, she was currently staring at the last member of this committee with a mix of suspicion and wariness, and Tamamo instantly understood why.
The remaining member was a succubus roughly as tall as her, with white hair attached in a ponytail and crowded by thick, black horns. She was wearing a grayish bikini with thigh high kneesocks, purple boots with matching gloves, and behind her Tamamo could see a thick grey and white tail and bat wings. What disturbed the kitsune, however, was the succubus' golden eyes: They were showing an impressively old age that were only matched by the sheer contempt and boredom they carried. She bowed mechanically, purely by politeness and certainly not out of any respect for her.
I thought the Lilith Sisters were everything wrong with ancient succubi. I stand corrected.
"Greetings, Tamamo, thank you for coming so soon." Mephisto showed the kitsune as the latter positioned herself. "This is Tamamo No Mae, one of the oldest monster and one of our greatest ally out of the Pocket Castle. If there's anyone in the world that can help you with your current issue, it's her. These are Magatsu, Vinum, and in the corner, Myusca."
Tamamo curtsied before sitting herself, cautiously staring at the two succubi in front of her. Vinum took a sip of tea before placing back her cup on its support.
"I will keep it short so nobody lose their time: As you heard, the most dangerous book of my personal collection disappeared when the Pocket Castle collapsed. It can be used to summon an extremely ancient, dangerous succubus in the right circumstances."
"How dangerous are we talking about exactly?"
Vinum contemptuously glanced at Tamamo. "More dangerous than your sister Minagi."
The kitsune intensively glared at the succubus for throwing the name of one of her fellow Ancestor around so lightly. Before she could tell anything, however, Mephisto put the conversation back on track.
"Fortunately, while the summoning ritual isn't overly complicated, it is a bit obscure and requires some elements that aren't readily available." Mephisto sighed. "However, the issue remains: As long as this damn book in the hands of one of the remnants of the Alliance, people will join them to attack humans with the hope of bringing in again a world of pleasure. Even if they aren't successful, the perspective alone is enough for them to band together and raise hell. This is why I decided to ask you… Even if you're not directly affiliated with us, you still have the best information network around, and we definitively could use some additional brainpower to pierce through their plans."
Tamamo tapped her chin with her fan, lost in thoughts. After a moment, she inquisitively looked at Vinum.
"How exactly did it fall into enemy's hands if that book is so dangerous and precious to you?"
"I lost focus in the chaos and one of the resident of the Pocket Castle likely grabbed it to sell it. As to whom…" Vinum turned around. "I suspected Myusca at first since she expressed her interest into seeing Her freed, but-"
"I got my lesson the first ten times you explained me grandma! Sheesh, if I knew that it would have created such a mess, I would have grabbed that when I saw it…"
There's definitively some Morrigan into her… Could they somehow actually be related?
"But I asked her-"
"Repeatedly!"
Vinum glared at her younger counterpart as the latter kept interrupting her, and Tamamo saw Myusca flinch under her elder's gaze. For a moment, she saw herself in Vinum's place, scolding one of her pupil…
She shook her head. There was no comparison between her and that succubus.
"…And I'm now convinced that she isn't the one actually responsible for it. The next monster I suspected was that purple devious kitsune, Daji. She seemed like the kind to enjoy the chaos that would result from the summoning."
Tamamo shook her head negatively. Inwardly, she exulted at the idea of simply contradicting Vinum.
"I saw her fight against a few of them with one of my partner, and Kazuya could testify. Furthermore, she's now in my custody to help me repair the damage she caused."
Vinum silently nodded in acknowledgment. "In that case… The only remaining culprits would be those Cursed Sword Sisters and Musette and her goons, and I do not think they would have a reason to do so more than any other resident of the Pocket Castle... So we will have to focus on putting a stop to the current plans of those remnants first. They're currently busy trying to try finding a ritual site while gathering energy. They don't even need the latter, but for the former… I hope that you know which place would be the most fitting for bringing in a soul devouring demon from another dimension."
"Places with strong magical connections are dime a dozen, and with all the men recently found sucked dry or on the verge of death, they could even create their own… First, let's look for any unusual activity about succubi and other exceptionally lustful monsters."
And I hope that you and the other Alliance members didn't wreck so much chaos that your actions hide everything else.
"Here are the latest reports in the world… I'll be honest, I already browsed through them, I didn't find anything unusual."
Tamamo scoured the large pile of papers Mephisto handed her with an expert eyes, and the best she could do was recognize that the yoma was mostly right: the few incidents that weren't related to the usual chaosization issues were explained by the arrival of the four hundred elite warriors that made for the inhabitants of the Pocket Castle on the world. A few frictions were bound to happen.
"This… Wait, no, forget it, it's Succubus Village."
"Couldn't this village actually be involved in this? I mean, succubi are the ones the most interested in bringing pleasure to this world."
"No. They just want to find their place and enjoy company personally, they're on the reasonable end of the spectrum. The best we could do is ask Witch and Succubus if they heard any rumors in the streets."
"Already done, they only dealt with a few troublemakers that they swiftly kicked out."
Magatsu humbly nodded before glaring at Vinum again. "I'm not sure we can afford to turn every stone in the world, if only because some of us have to take care of our own."
"Nemea is currently far from Hakunen. She's not the one who nearly sucked him dry back in Iliasburg. Besides, if you didn't make him such a manwhore…"
"It looks like one of the group is holed up in the Oasis of Blessings in Sabasa." Tamamo talked, if only to interrupt the rising conflict. "It makes sense. That place is slightly isolated, flying monsters can attack both Saloon and Monte Carlo with limited fear of reprisals, and they apparently started moving less than a day ago… That would be after the assault on Lady's Village."
Even if she was grasping at straws, Tamamo's words had the desired effects and the conflict instantly calmed down as everyone, save for an exasperated Myusca, focused on the paper in the kitsune's hand.
"Mmmh… Unless we bring in a massive number, they'll easily be able to escape us. What do you suggest?"
"We don't need that much reinforcement if we set up a teleportation-blocking spell around the oasis first… Two groups would be enough. One will attack them head-on and attract their attention, and the second will fall on their behind to take them by surprise. Their first reflex will be to teleport away, and before they considering simply flying off, we'll already be done with them."
Tamamo was almost surprised to see Vinum nodding in approval.
"Very well. I'll get Nemea to help us, and we'll get ready then."
Not so long after, Magatsu, Mephisto, Vinum and Tamamo were in Sabasa's desert, not so far from the Oasis of Blessing and hidden by carefully-crafted layers of magic spells. Once again, Tamamo was surprised by the oni's unusual skill in Taoism which didn't have much to envy to her own. When they arrived in sight of the landmark, Tamamo got the confirmation that she had been right on the spot: The oasis was filled with succubi and even a few Nightmares, making her grit her teeth as memories of the last day resurfaced. They weren't the horde that she imagined, but if those succubi supposed to support them decided to play around, the fight could end unfavorably.
As they started to stealthily set up the spell, she looked at Magatsu, concerned. The oni remained both an anomaly and a mystery in her eyes… Eventually, she decided that she could use the opportunity to interrogate her.
"By the way, you didn't talk much about yourself…"
"Mmmh? Honestly, I don't have much to say about me..." Magatsu easily remained focused on her task even as she answered Tamamo. "I'm the old guardian of Mahoroba mountain, which mostly involve making sure that the yokai there don't get too rowdy and that this damn yokai hunter remains as far, far away as possible…"
"What about that young monk you took as a student?"
Magatsu chuckled. "He wanted to learn from someone, and I decided that I could use a hand to rein in all those troublemakers."
Suuuuuure…I can identify him by his smell alone right now thanks to you.
"If you saw the parties the foxes all too often throw or Daimyokai… Actually, I think both came to Yamatai."
Tamamo grimaced. "I had my lieutenants take care of the kitsune shrine, they were not happy to clean it up… However, I don't think I heard much about that Daimyokai."
When the kitsune saw the oni look down in shame, she regretted having asked that question. "She's a yokai hunter. Some people see her as a hero, but she's greedy, self-serving, and would harm yokai for the crime of existing while asking locals for a reward once done."
"Not so different from some of our heroes then… Wait, she doesn't happen to look greenish?"
"That is probably the least shocking part about her."
"Well, in that case I should inform you that since she stole several sacred family heirlooms, if I put my hands on her, I will rip her arms of her sockets, have them devoured under her eyes, then I'll cut her vocal chords, feed it to her and have her remains violated to her death by the Lilith Sisters before burning her soul to be able to get the artifacts back."
A slightly scared Mephisto shuffled away from the group even as she wanted to tell Tamamo that it wasn't the best moment to ask someone for their life's story. She could see Vinum smirking, clearly amused by the kitsune's outburst. Eventually, the small succubus turned around when the spell was ready.
"I'll return to Myusca and Nemea. We'll engage them from the other direction once you have their attention."
Vinum disappeared under the trio's gaze. Once Tamamo was sure that Vinum was away, she groaned.
"Can we really count on those succubi? They managed the exploit of feeling less reliable than the Lilith Sisters."
"I wouldn't say for sure, but Vinum really wants to get that damn book back." Mephisto shivered. "And I hope she will bury it in another dimension entirely."
"If you say so…" Tamamo stretched herself and took an aggressive stance, her tails raising threateningly like so many furry snakes.
"Let's beat down some sense in those hedonists! I'll take care of the Nightmares."
Tamamo, Magatsu and Mephisto surreptitiously got as close as possible to the oasis and took the opportunity to better gauge the camp: There were around twenty monsters, with slightly less than half of them being Nightmares while the remaining ones were succubi. Tamamo could also see a few unconscious men lying around, but none of them were dead yet, although it was clear they couldn't afford to bear the attention of succubi any time soon. There was no waiting if they wanted to save them…
She looked at her two allies, and saw Magatsu ready a large war club with a single hand while Mephisto prepared her wand. A group of four succubi isolated themselves, apparently discussing a plan to fetch more men from Monte Carlo. Tamamo threw a few talismans while her two allies released the spells they had prepared on the unsuspecting group.
A storm of rock caught the quartet of succubi by surprise and knocked them down in a cacophony of screams, attracting the attention of the whole camp. Several succubi monks charged them, supported by Nightmares while a group of mages remained behind and already started raining spells on them.
Magatsu stopped their charge on the spot with a powerful swing from her hammer, knocking one away and stunning another. Simultaneously, Tamamo's tails danced and grabbed two of the Nightmares, working on them until they collapsed, satisfied, while Mephisto was focusing on raising a magical shield to protect the party. While their opponents were numerous and quite powerful, they didn't show any strategy beyond attacking… Which might be enough as Tamamo herself was forced to support Magatsu in Mephisto's defense against four more opponents.
Fortunately, a series of elemental explosion shook the enemies magi, and several of their opponent turned back to face this new threat, giving them some much needed breathing room. Tamamo incapacitated another Nightmare with her tails before catching a punch straight in her head. She thanked her natural earth resistance for dulling the shock, and before anything else her attacker was slammed by Magatsu's large hammer, the oni finally managing to break away from her own enemies. She nodded in thanks, and as the number of immediate threats decreased, she took a look in the direction of the other fight currently happening.
The trio of succubi joining them had nothing to envy to the Lilith Sisters. Vinum was moving around at an impressive speed, taking down opponents after opponents in a series of rapid punches while Myusca was releasing precise shots from a bow that was bathed in a purplish aura, dancing around with a light step as she kept her enemies at distance. Last, the kitsune could see a third curvy succubus wearing a fishnet outfit while wielding a staff, raining explosive spells on her enemies. Great, it did look like the fight would be over soon enough…
Tamamo suddenly felt an all-too familiar electric discharge, and then she saw another group of Nightmares and succubi spawn behind the trio that was supporting her. She swore when she understood that they had noticed the barrier and had consequently teleported right outside to support their allies in difficulty. Luckily, the succubus trio noticed and reacted in consequences, although they were now fighting on two fronts.
Tamamo, Magatsu and Mephisto fought with renewed vigor, swinging tails, hammer and spells at the monsters between them and their allies as their enemies were still recovering from shock. Tamamo's own tails wrapped around a Nightmare that she tossed away like a broken doll once the monster went limp before throwing a talisman on a succubus that ended swallowed by earth. Another succubus hit her with a wind blast, slowing her down before Mephisto took down the offending monster with a well-placed magic bolt of her own. As less and less monsters attacked them, the trio pushed forward to support their allies.
Tamamo saw Myusca continue to jump around while shooting her bow, even as her two allies focused more on defending themselves, moving around to avoid being surrounded by the sudden influc of enemies. Tamamo saw the succubus archer suddenly flinch as a succubus monk pierced through and struck her in the jaw. Before anyone else could react, a kick swept her away like a wave and threw her in the middle of another group of succubi.
"She's a traitor! Kill her!"
Noticing that Vinum and Nemea were surrounded even as they desperately tried to make a beeline to their partner, Tamamo threw a talisman in the direction of the unconscious succubus who was instantly shielded by a rock-solid barrier. Frustrated, the furious succubi instead focused their assault on Tamamo and her group, and the kitsune reinforced herself with the power of a mountain as two succubi attempted to attack her with flying kicks. She didn't flinch, and used her tails to grab her opponent's limbs before slamming them in each other behind her, knocking them both out. In the meantime, a few of the additional Nightmares fell, drowning in a wave of pleasure while Vinum punched another one across the oasis.
Eventually, after a few more exchanges of blows with the remaining succubi, Tamamo, Magatsu and Mephisto regrouped with Vinum and her partner, and the kitsune released her shield around Myusca. Vinum sighed while her partner leaned over the unconscious succubus.
"Damn it Myusca… You're still fighting too recklessly."
"She's fine, Vinum. I'll take care of her while you take care of them."
"Thank you Nemea."
Vinum groaned again in dissatisfaction as the large succubus carried away her partner and disappeared.
"I really have to give her that lesson again… And maybe this time, she'll listen…"
"A problem student?" Mephisto cleaned up traces of blood on her coat. "I share your pain. I have a few of my own who're so lustful they don't even follow my classes."
"Oh, I don't have this problem with Hakunen… The boy is so embarrassed by anything sexual, it's actually what endeared him to me." Magatsu punctuated her sentence with a giggle.
"You jumped him as soon as you had the occasion and pushed him forward for the handjob karaoke."
"Do I event want to ask?" Tamamo tilted her head in confusion.
Magatsu huffed and haughtily turned away. "Probably not… But he's a good student and never caused me problems!"
"I would say it's the opposite indeed…"
"Still, it's clear that Myusca is troublesome to manage… She could probably use additional tutoring." Tamamo tapped her fan with her chin. "Then again, teaching anything to succubi is a feat in itself."
"You taught succubi?" Vinum threw an inquisitive gaze at the kitsune who just shrugged.
"I did. I'll just say that they weren't my most diligent students. I don't know in your world, but over here your kin has a tendency to focus on everything that is fun first. I tried to teach them to better control themselves, but…"
"Mmh. In Mahoroba, most of my problems come from those damn foxes. They always think about partying and playing pranks by transforming into statues to block the way of travelers."
"Did you try taking a more direct approach with them? I mean, if you treat them like your apprentice…"
"I did… And I almost gave up. I'm getting too old for taking care of those drunkards. Fortunately Hakunen has the stamina to tire them out."
"I'm starting to tire too… If only Myusca hadn't snuck that damn book away, I would maybe even enjoy a leisurely evening of studying… I swear those younger succubi are respecting their elders less and less these days."
Tamamo surprised herself as she started to feel a growing kinship with Vinum. Even if all of her kitsunes respected her, too many evenings had been ruined by the pranks of one of the younger students' prank.
Mephisto groaned. "Back in my time, students knew how to behave... Study first, pleasure later."
"True, I sometimes regret the better relations building between humans and yokais... The latter have become a little too noisy and enthusiastic..."
"...They don't even respect the old arts or knew how hard it was..."
The small succubus sighed again and started searching amongst the unconscious victims of their rampage for someone to interrogate. In the meantime, the kitsune made her way to Mephisto, who was busy tracing magic vectors in the air.
"I already called a few of Luka's companions to take care of those troublemakers and help their victims.. If we can find out from where they teleported… Aaaand voilà."
Tamamo looked at the magical runes flying in front of her, deciphering the different symbols to try to deduce their meaning.
"They come from… Grangold? They may even be in the city?"
"Mmh… Let's see how Vinum and her interrogations are going before moving out. Maybe one of those succubi even saw her small weapon of mass destruction."
They joined the duo to see Magatsu stand guard as Vinum was glaring at a succubus she was holding with a single hand at ground level.
"I can tell that you saw it… Who gave it to your leader?"
The succubus laughed. "Angels did."
"Angels?!" Tamamo jumped in surprise. "This doesn't make sense, if angels saw a book that even a succubus called evil, they would try to destroy it! You're also a little too forward with that information…"
Vinum's victim started to laugh, but a single glare from the small succubus made her instantly fear for her life and she answered.
"Like you, they promised us the world… And like you, they abandoned us… So I don't care what you'll do to them! If you would kill each other, it would be our best dream instead!"
"There were angels in the leading circle of the Alliance?"
"Not exactly angels…"
Scorn filtered through Vinum's voice as she dropped her victim on the ground.
"Musette… But that doesn't make sense."
Tamamo inquisitively looked at Mephisto, who gave out an explanation a little too smugly to the taste of the kitsune who wanted to remind the yoma that she remained her elder.
"One of the demons from another dimension, she could pass herself as an angel, just like her goons Bell and Lyla. She came in the Alliance with the intent to backstab them and to conquer the world, and she is a specialist in brainwashing techniques."
"Considering how that book seems terrifying, why would she give it to someone instead of using it herself? Even if it was too risky, she could brainwash someone and have them use it in her place!"
"…Hence why I said it doesn't make sense." Vinum gave Tamamo the usual contempt-filled sidelong glance, but the kitsune decided to ignore her to focus on the succubus they were trying to interrogate. The latter looked passably amused at the apparent dissensions. Tamamo glared at her, and focused back on what they heard.
Why would someone wanting to conquer the world want to steal a dangerous weapon and not use it? …Actually, it's obvious.
"She sold it. She sold it to finance her real project to take over the world."
Mephisto shook her head negatively. "No. Sorry to contradict you, but I don't see how she could. We have people to keep an eye on her, and other people to make sure she doesn't brainwash anyone, she'd definitively be unable to recruit herself an army to roll over the world without us being warned twice over before she's have gotten her first recruit."
"Your people failed to notice her selling the book."
"We started talking about it after you noticed it disappeared. It might have already been too late by then."
Magatsu decided to bring the conversation on track.
"Should we go check on that city of Grangold first? If those succubi are indeed there with this book, whatever Musette planned is secondary."
"You're right, let's go."
Even as she readied a teleportation spell, Tamamo's mind wandered as to what this Musette's plan could possibly entail. If everybody was naturally wary of her while she was watched over, then her options for spending gold to conquer the world without being attacked were quite limited. She trusted Mephisto and the report of her spies, so it was unlikely that she was attacking people behind the scenes either.
What kind of plan one can follow with a large load of gold, but without being able to resort to military might or behind-the-scene shady deals?
Eventually, the solution instantly revealed itself the moment the party's feet hit the ground in front of the city of Grangold. The first to recover her composure ended up being Mephisto.
"…Good grief, it must be a joke…"